Carpet fastener



J. F. GIIBSON CARPET FASTENER Feb. 28, 1950 Filed Sept. 24, 1946 attorneys Patented F eb. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARPET FASTENER John F. Gibson, Seattle, Wash.

Application September 24, 1946, Serial No. 699,037

8 Claims. 1

The present invention concerns generically a device for securing a panel, such as a carpet for a room, to the floor by fastening means which are concealed in use and which stretch it uniformly taut. The use of the device is not necessarily confined to the securing ofcarpeting, since, for example, it may be employed for holding and stretching fabric wall or ceiling panels, such as are used in the interior'finish of airplane cabins,

stallation, and the attaimnent of that advantage, through means which needto be only reasonably accurately located when installed, through means which need to be only reasonably accurately located in the process of installation, is one of the important objects of this invention.

Similarly, the aforesaaid advantage of rapidity to their previous engagement, if any, and with minimum attention to accuracy, without regard to distortions of the carpet from time to time, and with automatic accuracy in the natural course of the carpet-laying operation, yet withal, without damage to or disfigurement of the carpet, even though it holds the carpet firmly, tautly, evenly, and indefinitely.

It is also an object of the invention to provide such a device the parts of which can be quickly andeasily engaged with one another, so that the entire job of laying the carpet is a short, simple one, and which when in such operative position will stretch the carpet tautly and uniformly along all its margins without any serrating or scalloping effect, such as is observed when the carpet is held by spaced tacks.

A further object is to provide a device of this nature which will hold the carpet securely by reason of the tension in the stretched carpet, yet which is readily disengageable for release of the carpet, without deformation or bending of any element of the fastening means, so that the carof installation is lost if great accuracy is required in the location upon or securement to the carpet of parts complemental to the floor-secured parts. In addition, positive disadvantages arise if the carpet-secured parts must be permanently attached thereto. Carpets require occasionally to be taken up and cleaned, and when relaid it is often found that they have stretched, shrunk, or become distorted. Any fastener means which must be permanently secured to the carpet, or

which when secured temporarily thereto disfigures the carpet, and which must cooperate with a fastener means permanently located upon the floor, will be found to be incorrectly located after such distortion. Yet, to remove them and relocate them is a tedious job, and if their original engagement disfigured the carpet it is impossible to conceal all such damage when the distorted carpet is relaid.

Another important object of this invention thus becomes apparent, namely, to provide a part complemental to the floor-secured part and itself engageable with the carpet quickly, with a mini-' mum of necessary accuracy and regardless of any previous location relative to the carpet, and which will not damage nor disfigure the carpet.

Together, these parts provide a carpet fastening means securable permanently to the floor and impermanently to the carpet, without regard.

pet may be taken up and relaid as often as is necessary, as, for example, when it needs cleaning, and all without injury to or disfigurement of the carpet.

With these and similar objects in mind, as will appear more fully hereinafter, my invention comprises the novel carpet fastening means shown in the accompanying drawings, described in this specification, and as will be more particularly pointed out by the claims which terminate the same.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown in a presently preferred form, but the principles thereof ma be embodied in varmng forms, as will appear more clearly hereinafter.

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a corner of the carpet, showing the carpet fastening means in operative position, parts of the carpet itself being broken away for better illustration of the securing means.

Figure 2 is a sectional view transversely of the carpet securing means and of the floor, wall, carpet, and pad, showing parts in the preliminary position, preparatory to securing the carpet; and Figure 3 is a similar view showing parts in the P. The carpet is illustrated at C. The pad stops short of the wall just sufiiciently for the location of the securing means close to the base of the wall and just outside the margin of the pad.

The first step in laying the carpet is to secure to the floor a lower strip I. This strip preferably extends substantially unbroken throughout the length of the floor which is to be covered, and closely adjacent but spaced slightly inwardly from the wall W, or otherwise along and beneath the intended location of thecarpets edge. The spacing, or lack thereof, from the wall is'not critical, but a location immediately adjacent the wall is feasible, if desired. The means of seourement of the strip I may be any that are found suitable, and are typified by the nails N. These are secured at random intervals, and no care need-be taken to locate these nails, although preferablythe are;

located somewhat nearer the outer edge of the strip I than its inner edge. This strip has an upwardly turned (and preferably curved) flange II adjacent or along its inner edge,the height:of

which shouldnot be great, say, notgreater than thethickness of the pad P. While'preferably-the.

flange II is continuous from end to end of the strip I, it may, without departure from the spiritv the baseof, the wall W. As will be understood, a strip of this nature is .fastened down alongall themargins of the area to be carpeted.

An upper member 2 is separatefrom or independentof the lower strip I, but is provided with.

adownwardly directed fiangeZI at its inner edge (preferably curved complementally to the curva-- ture of flange I I), which by engagement with the flange II constitutes astop-or hingeconnection permitting the outer edge of the member 2 to. swingdownwardly and outwardly, when engaged" with the carpet in a manner-shortly to be described, until the member 2 is in horizontalposixtion. The member -2 may be considered as astrip, andwhile it might, like the-strip I-, becontinuous along the entire-edgeof the carpet-,it is preferred that it be formed as a series of shorter strips; so

that in efiect it becomes, along each edge of the carpet, an interrupted strip.

This strip 2 has anedge 22, Which-may, ifndesired, be serrated for firmly-engaging the carpet,

which edge 22 is engaged with the firm underside or back of the carpet, somewhat inwardl from its edge, and the carpet is then turned downwarda:

ly and under. beneath the strip 2. The strip 21is thus disposed in operative position "between-the carpet, which is above it, and the :turned-unde'r-r marginal fold M below it.

Means must beaprovided to hold the strip 2 thus swung down into operative position; To that. end the upper member 2 may constitute the upper. leg of a u-shaped member, the lower leg 2301. which extends outwardly generally parallel to'thea strip 2, and spaced from the latter just sufiiciently torreceive between them the marginalfold M'of the carpet. The member23 is .primarily'a'fasten'-' ing or retaining means, and to'thisaend is.-pro--' Vided with a downwardly and inwardly directed.

hook 24 at its outer edge, the-purpose of which is. to engage about and beneath the edge I2iof the lower strip I The location of the flange II and .theedge. I2;

ofthe. strip I with relation, respectively, to the,

bend or flange 2i andhook-24'of theupper'strip.

2,,are'important. While. the relative spacingiof The outer edge.

4 II and I2, or of 2| and 24, is not critical, these several parts should be so located that when the member 2, engaged as shown in Fig. 2 with the edge of the carpet, is swung downwardly about the hinge connection at II, 2|, the hook 24 will not pass over the edge I2 until, when the member 2 is in horizontal position, the latter is pushed first outwardly toward the wall, while it is, at the same time, being pressed downwardly, and then, when the hook '24has passed over the outer edge I2, if the member 2 is permitted to move or is pulled inwardly, the hook 24 is engaged over the edge I2, in the manner shown in Figure 3. In this position tension in the rug tends to hold the parts in engagement, yet always it is possible to push the carpetoutwardly or toward the wall sufficiently to disengage thehooks 24 from the edge I2, whenever it is desired'to take up the carpet.

As is obvious, the operation of laying the carpet consists in first securing; the strips I at the intended locationsof the several edges of the carpet,v employingthe tacks or nails N. Now the.

marginal portion M of the carpet, along oneedge, is engaged along astraight line between the legs of the U-shaped member 2, 23, and this edgeof the carpet is held down by hookingthe hooks 24' and when the-last strip 2, 23-is so engaged the.

operation is complete. Ihavelaid a 9-}; l2 carpet inthis fashionin a total of nine minutes, including;the-location and nailing, down'of the strips I.

The serrationsat 22, if employed, will not permanentlyinjure the carpet, and if, when the car pet is relaid after'cleaning, theedge'22 does-not engage it at. the :samelocation as before, no harm is ,done,-for the. carpethas not been injured, nor istitsappearanceafiectediby these securing means.

Since there is nornecessity-to bend the upper strip 2 relative to any other part, its position relationship to the element 23 being fixed and it being independentof the lower strip I, the parts of the fastening means may be made sufficiently stiff and rigid that'they' will notreadily bend under forcesgenerated. bythe laying of the carpet, or by its use. 2

I claim as 'my invention:

1. Means to fasten and stretch a, panel of carpet or the'lik'e, comprising a lower strip securable to the floor or similar support along and beneath the intended location of the carpets edges, a separate upper stripdisposable with its outer edge snuglyat the bend between the carpet and an under and inwardly turned marginal fold thereof, means hingedly interengageable between the re-- specti'veinner edges of the upper and lower strips to limit inward movement of the upper strip and for downwardand outward swinging of the upper strip while so interengaged, into horizontal p0si= tion, and an outward extension of the upper strip; downwardly and inwardly hooked at its outer edge, disposed-beneath such marginal fold in position to engage "such hooked edge beneath the outer edge ofsaid lower strip b slight outward "sliding movement relative to the lower strip when the upper strip is in its downwardly swung position, followed by slight inward sliding movement, and disengageable from said lower strip by the reverse movements.

2. Means to fasten and stretch a panel of carpet or the like, comprising a lower strip securable to the floor or similar support along and beneath the intended location of the carpets edges, an upper member of U-shape in cross-section to receive the carpets margin, and to fold the same under with one leg of the U uppermost and disposed between. the carpet panel above and the marginal fold below, the other leg of the U being then disposed beneath the marginal fold, hinge means interengageable between the inner edges of said lower strip and said U-shaped member for downward and outward swinging of the latter into horizontal position, and means interengageable between the outer edges of said lower strip and the lower leg of the U-shaped member, and held in such engagement by the inward tension of the carpet, to prevent upward swinging of said U- shaped member.

3. Means to fasten and stretch a panel of carpet or the like, comprising a lower strip securable to the floor or similar support, along and beneath the intended location of the carpets edges, a flange upstanding from the inner edge of said strip, the outer edge of said strip being disposed slightly above the floor, a U-shaped member lying, in carpet-fastening position, horizontally above said strip, with the carpets margin folded downwardly about its upper, outer edge and lying between its legs, said upper, outer edge being serrated to grip the carpet, and the lower, outer edge of said U-shaped member being hooked down- Wardly and inwardly, the U -shaped member being of such width, relative to said lower strip, that its inner bend will hingingly engage with the upstanding flange of said lower strip, and its hooked edge, upon swinging downwardly into horizontal position, can be engaged about the outer edge of said lower strip only by outward and then inward movement of the U-shaped member, the parts being held in such engagement by the inward tension of the carpet.

4. Means to fasten and stretch a panel of carpet or the like, comprising a lower strip securable to the floor along and beneath the intended location of an edge of the carpet, an upper strip disposable with its outer edge snugly at the bend between the carpet and an under and inwardly turned marginal fold thereof, means for operative interengagement between the inner edges of the upper and lower strips, formed and arranged to define a stop limiting inward sliding movement of the upper strip, and also a fulcrum support for swinging movement of the upper strip about its inner edge, both such movements relative to said lower strip, and complemental means carried by and interengageable between said strips by inward sliding movement of the upper strip after the latter has been swung downwardly into horizontal position, to retain said upper strip in such downwardly swung position until the same is slid outwardly for release.

5. Means to fasten and stretch a panel of stiff carpet or the like, comprising a lower strip securable to the floor or similar support beneath an appreciable length of and at the intended location of the carpets edges, a disconnectible upper strip disposable with its outer edge snugly at and biting into the bend between the carpet and an under and inwardly turned marginal fold thereof, means interengageable between the inner edges of the upper and lower strips to limit bodily inward movement of the upper strip and of the carpet edge engaged thereby, but not upward swinging thereof about said means as a fulcrum, under the pull of the tensioned carpet, and further means interengageable directly between said strips after the upper strip has been swung downwardly about such fulcrum into horizontal position, to retain the upper strip in such downwardly swung position.

6. Means for the purpose stated in claim 5, and constructed and arranged as therein defined, wherein the means to limit bodily inward movement of the upper strip relative to the lower strip is arranged to accommodate unlimited bodily outward movement of the upper strip, and wherein the interengageable retaining means are arranged for interengagement by bodily movement of the upper strip in the outward sense, after its downswinging into horizontal position, relative to the lower strip, followed by inward engaging movement of the upper strip under the tensional force of the carpet.

7. Means to fasten and stretch a panel of carpet or the like, comprisin a generally fiat lower strip securable to the floor or similar support along and beneath the intended location of the carpets edges, said strip having upstanding stop means along its inner edge, a wholly separate and separable upper strip also generally flat, to fit snugly within and to bite into the bend between the carpet and an inwardly and under turned marginal fold thereof, the inner edge of the upper strip bearing hingedly against said stop means of the lower strip, and latching means interengageable directly between the upper and lower strips, outwardly from their hingedly engaged inner edges, to retain the upper strip in downwardly swung, carpet-tensioning position.

8. Means as defined in claim 7, wherein the I outer edge of the upper strip is serrated, and constitutes the sole connection between the carpet and the fastening and stretching means.

JOHN F. GIBSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,071,659 Wright Aug. 26, 1913 2,018,652 Becker Oct. 29, 1935 2,062,087 Cottrell Nov. 24, 1936 

